I'll admit it-- when I found out I was assigned to review the Zip Organizer (which I had selected as a project I really wanted to do, by the way), I kind of panicked. I'm not really the best with patterns in general. I had never done a wrap around zipper or successfully bound anything with bias tape. Couple that with some pretty lengthy instructions and I was scared. But I really didn't need to be! Sure there are a lot of pieces to cut and a lot of steps to follow, but they are totally doable. By my third organizer, I didn't even need to look at the instructions. And because I made three different versions to test out interfacing and different methods of construction, you can learn from the mistakes I made.

IMPORTANT-- make sure to read the Zakka Style errata before you start making your organizer! There are important changes that you need to note before you cut your fabrics. There is also an additional change regarding cutting interfacing-- where it says to cut (2) 11 x 18" pieces of interfacing, change that to (2) 11 x 8" pieces.

And one more thing-- I know that this is an intimidating pattern, in part because some of the trickiest steps along the way are hard to illustrate in a book format where there is limited space for each project. Masko is an amazing designer and writes amazing patterns. She was so great to talk to as I was going through this process. So if you were just following the book you'd figure it all out just fine. But I thought it would be great to have the opportunity to share tips those tips here that there just wasn't space for in the book.

The organizers:

Version 1: Materials include some gorgeous Essex yarn dye linen in "Leather" by Robert Kaufman, a Sevenberry floral, Lecien yarn dye stripe, and a bit of Hope Valley.

Version 2: Materials include a hoarded Gingko screen print by Ink and Spindle, a Lecien yarn dye stripe and floral, and Sweetwater's Authentic stripe.

Version 3: Materials include another gorgeous Essex yarn dye linen in "Black" and various Suzuko Koseki prints. I did some handstitching on the front with Cosmo floss-- so yummy!

Interfacing suggestions:

For version 1, I used Pellon SF101 woven fusible interfacing exclusively. While it worked great overall, I wanted the organizer to be a little more structured.

So for version 2, I thought I'd try using fusible fleece interfacing on the outside piece and used the Pellon 101 for the rest. While the fusible fleece didn't cause issues with bulkiness along the edges like I feared, it gives the organizer a sort of puffy appearance that I'm not fond of.

Finally, version 3! I found some Pellon Craft Fuse 808 in my stash. It was just right-- it gives a good amount of structure without bulk, and the cover looks crisp. I continued to use Pellon 101 for the rest of the pieces.

Sewing on the outer zipper:

At first I was confused about how to sew the zipper along the outer edges so that the closed zipper end wouldn't be interrupted by the binding. Here you can see what the zipper looks like when you pin it around the outside-- note that the closed end is folded inward and pinned.

After you sew it on, leave the pins that hold down the zipper teeth in the corners. You'll want these to be out of the way when you stitch on your binding. Otherwise they can get caught and you'll have to redo the corners. Trust me.

Joining together your bias binding edges:

The book covers how to make a bias binding, but doesn't explain how to join your binding edges together so they go continuously around the organizer. You can always fold over one of the ends and overlap it on top of the other-- but to reduce bulk and make things look nicer, take these steps to do a mitered join.

If this is confusing, which it very well could be, you can check out this blog post for more detailed steps.

Do as I say, not as I did:

1. You will have a lot of layers to sew together as you go along-- they will shift if you don't secure them before you sew! Use lots of pins, or my new favorite, Wonder Clips.

2. If you decide to piece together your outer cover, be conscious of lining things up when you sew on the back zipper. I don't like pinning when I sew on a zipper, but obviously that didn't work out so well for me here. Take your time and make sure things line up.

3. Consider using a glue , like Roxanne Glue Baste It, to attach your bias binding around the front before you hand stitch it. It makes a huge difference! I even used it to secure the fabric tab to my zipper end before sewing it on.

Finishing touches:

1. I added a line of stitching to the outer cover about an inch above the back zipper to section off the pocket, prior to sewing the main inside and outside pieces together. It's a preference thing-- but that way, the contents in that pocket will stay in the back and not work their way around to the front cover.

2. On my first two versions, the exposed ends of the back zipper bothered me. So for the final one, I ended up sewing a folded piece of fabric onto either zipper end to cover up the holes. It's an easy fix and makes the back look so much nicer.

Phew. Are you still here? If so, you have a chance to win a pack of awesome threads from Aurifil. I've been using Aurifil for all of my piecing for the last few months, and it's amazing. I've got 5 packs to give away. Just leave me a comment to enter! I'll close comments on Friday, June 8th and pick winners.

And if you are making the zip organizer this week, don't forget to post a photo of your finished project in the Flickr pool and link it up to Lindsey's blog, LR Stitched, for a chance to win an awesome prize from Lecien-- a huge bundle of Cosmo floss!

Thank you for tip on the zippers. I do not like them at all. I love the organizers. Beautiful details incorporated into the material. I look foward to making my organizer, I am in need of one. Thanks for sharing....Judith, Texa

I had began sewing my version a couple days ago, and noticed that there had to be errors. On Lindsey's (lrstitched) blog she said there were a few printed errors darn! wish I would have seen them before because I had somewhat a hard time figuring the zipper out because it didn't say which direction :) I LOVE YOU VERSIONS!!! especially the one with the crafty fabric!

ooh, thanks for all of the tips. I have two children who have been eager for me to make some organizers for them, but after reading through the instructions, I knew that there were some things that were not quite clicking with me. and *I* have been eager to try out some Aurifil, so thanks, too, for the chance to win some of that!

You know, I have to say that I was not initially inspired by any of the Zakka Style projects. Until this sew-along, and especially now that I see this blog post. Thanks for sharing all your tips, and for the lovely Aurifil giveaway.

Thanks for the great review! I need to make a new wallet--spilled coffee on my current one--and this looks like a great pattern to use. I'm a little worried about the all around zipper, but you made it look do-able.

Wow, three great organizers - what a lot of work. Great tips - I also wanted a firm organizer so I used a mid-to-heavy interfacing and cut it so that it was 1/4" away from the edge to reduce bulk. It worked well. Your finishing touches make it look so neat.

That was a fabulous, thoughtful post Krista! I will return and re-read when I have time to make the organizer after our quilt show this weekend! (don't count me for the giveaway - lots of Aurifil here!).

Wow, your instructions are great and have stopped my poor heart from missing anymore beats from worry - I will be making a zippered organizer this week, thanks to your iinstructions!!! Oh and would LOVE to win some Aurifil!!!

You have done amazing job, Krista! The datails and tips are wonderful. And the pictures... You made the instruction so much easier to follow. I know more people will try the project when they see this post. Thank you!

thanks for the great tips, ESP the one about adding the zipper tabs. I wish I read this earlier today, I just put a flush zip pocket on the front of a summer bag I'm making... the tabs would have made it neater!

What a great review! I love that you shared some of your "mistakes" - even the mistakes look great, but it's great to learn your tips and tricks. I've been struggling with connecting continuous bias so I really appreciate your clear photos on that! Amanda, aberka AT gmail DOT com

Now Krista I have to thank you for sharing all those great tips because I am a visual learner and have struggled with some of the Zakka projects already. Your 3 different versions and experience will definitely help a lot of us. The zip organiser looks less intimidating now.

I am just hand stitching the binding on and then I am done. Especially the binding had me growling a few times as I had to unpick it several times (as the zip and binding are all so close to the edge the stitching I had used to attach the zip kept poking out from under the edge of the binding which also seemed much too wide so I have double bound it. Wish I had followed your advice about the interfacing but I didn't have any sturdier one and I was desperate to start. It Looks fab and I will make some more soon! Thanks so much for your tips and encouragement!

I am just hand stitching the binding on and then I am done. Especially the binding had me growling a few times as I had to unpick it several times (as the zip and binding are all so close to the edge the stitching I had used to attach the zip kept poking out from under the edge of the binding which also seemed much too wide so I have double bound it. Wish I had followed your advice about the interfacing but I didn't have any sturdier one and I was desperate to start. It Looks fab and I will make some more soon! Thanks so much for your tips and encouragement!

For some reason I didn't finish reading this before making my own zip organizer, but I'm definitely going to keep all this in mind when I made my next one. Great tips!

Quick question - did your exterior panel end up big enough after sewing in your zipper? Mine was too small, so I think next time I'll just make the exterior panel bigger to start & cut it down to size after I put in the zipper.

Thank you so much for the tips! I attempted this organizer when I first bought the book (on its pub date) and the errata had not yet been posted, so I ended up with an woefully unfinished organizer that has been gathering dust on a sewing shelf. This helps so much!

I am a little late commenting but just now saw this. Great little tute you did. Gave me a neat idea I am going to try by sewing one of these. Now I either have to get the book or try to pattern it myself. NOT, LOL... the book it is. Thanks for the great tutorial!